Dorsal Premotor Contributions to Auditory Rhythm Perception: Causal Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies of Interval, Tempo, and Phase

It has been suggested that movement planning networks are critical for time perception. The Action Simulation for Auditory Prediction (ASAP) hypothesis proposes that the dorsal auditory stream is involved in predictive beat-based timing through bidirectional interchange between auditory perception and dorsal premotor (dPMC) prediction via parietal regions, as has been supported by brain imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). However, causal impact of dPMC on time perception has not been tested directly. We used a TMS protocol that down-regulates cortical activity, continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), to test for causal contributions of left dPMC to time perception. Three experiments measured (1) discrete interval timing perception, and relative beat-based musical timing for (2) tempo perception and (3) phase perception. Perceptual acuity was tested pre- and post-cTBS using a test of sub-second interval discrimination and the Adaptive Beat Alignment Test (A-BAT). We show (N = 30) that cTBS down-regulation of left dPMC interferes with interval timing perception and the ability to detect differences in musical tempo, but not phase. Our data support causal involvement of premotor networks in perceptual timing, supporting a causal role of the left dPMC in accurate interval and musical tempo perception, possibly via dorsal stream interactions with auditory cortex.